Make or break for the museum

Published: Monday, July 28, 2014 at 01:52 PM.

Even a modest appropriation of government funding to the Museum of the Marine is raising skepticism at this point, but at least the Jacksonville tourism authority’s decision to provide money for public relations to boost private fundraising can serve a purpose.

That purpose would be to determine once and for all if this well-intentioned but slow-moving project stands any real hope of proceeding as envisioned.

Despite the years of planning and design, at significant expense, the Museum of the Marine seems far from reality, and current plans to raise as much as $20 million in two years seem farfetched.

While a good portion of the money used to get the project off the ground has come from government appropriations and individual donations, the idea that an angel donor, or maybe 10, will write a seven-digit check continues to float around as the most likely scenario finally to get the museum built.

Making that happen will require slick, if not divine, intervention.

Enter New Yorkbased consultant Eden Media Group, which is promising to raise the campaign’s profile in the Northeast, an area seen as potentially lucrative in potential donors by museum organizers. The plan is to attract a national spokesperson, draw celebrity endorsements and raise awarenessamong potential donors.

Museum officials had wanted $33,000 for the effort, but the city’s Tourism Development Authority cut that amount in half — $16,500. Eden Media Group is seeking $5,500 monthly for fees and expenses, so that gives the museum about three months to make a dent.

Even a modest appropriation of government funding to the Museum of the Marine is raising skepticism at this point, but at least the Jacksonville tourism authority’s decision to provide money for public relations to boost private fundraising can serve a purpose.

That purpose would be to determine once and for all if this well-intentioned but slow-moving project stands any real hope of proceeding as envisioned.

Despite the years of planning and design, at significant expense, the Museum of the Marine seems far from reality, and current plans to raise as much as $20 million in two years seem farfetched.

While a good portion of the money used to get the project off the ground has come from government appropriations and individual donations, the idea that an angel donor, or maybe 10, will write a seven-digit check continues to float around as the most likely scenario finally to get the museum built.

Making that happen will require slick, if not divine, intervention.

Enter New Yorkbased consultant Eden Media Group, which is promising to raise the campaign’s profile in the Northeast, an area seen as potentially lucrative in potential donors by museum organizers. The plan is to attract a national spokesperson, draw celebrity endorsements and raise awarenessamong potential donors.

Museum officials had wanted $33,000 for the effort, but the city’s Tourism Development Authority cut that amount in half — $16,500. Eden Media Group is seeking $5,500 monthly for fees and expenses, so that gives the museum about three months to make a dent.

The museum has generated plenty of good will in the community, but the effort has yet to turn dreams and enthusiasm into brick and mortar. Even a modest Phase 1 — which includes some landscaping, site preparation and a globe-and-anchor monument — has been slow in coming, with the latest delay coming from the federal government, which hasn’t signed off on the lease of the museum property.

The future of the Museum of the Marine clearly is in jeopardy, and it has been for some time. City officials recognize there is still support for the project as a potential popular destination for visitors, but that support is being eroded as the years pass with little tangible progress.

In some circles, the museum has moved from being the source of civic pride to the butt of neighborhood jokes. That is not a jab or light-hearted criticism; it is a fact.

This last-gasp initiative needs to pay off. If it doesn’t, a serious assessment needs to be undertaken. It would be hard to justify any more expenditure from any public source on the project until it is shown that private donations indeed are forthcoming. Government funds are tight at every level.

Something positive needs to happen with the Museum of the Marine, and it needs to happen quickly.